Madeira Island, Portugal

Donna and I visited the Portuguese Island of Madeira located in the North Atlantic Ocean Southwest of Portugal during our cruise in January of 2018. The island is highly mountainous with interior valleys. The island is lush with greenery and gardens and home to many small cities like the capital city of Funchal. The island has many resorts and is known for its New Years Fireworks. The island is also known for its wine and its 2km toboggan ride down the streets of Monte and Funchal. Donna and I rode the toboggan after we rode the Aerial tram to the top of the mountains and toured much of the Island. The city of Funchal has a very nice shopping district where I saw a lot of live music at the restaurants. There are also some nice museums and you can see a replica of Columbus’s Santa Maria siting in the harbor of Funchal. It’s an Island most people haven’t heard of but its one that’s a great place to visit.

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Getting to Madeira and Transportation

You can get to Madeira by two ways. Either by commercial airline or by a cruise. There are no ferry’s from mainland Europe available. Once you get to Madeira taking a tour bus, rental car or taxi is the way to travel to places away from the resort area of Funchal. Funchal is very walkable, and it is how Donna and I toured Funchal after our bus tour of the Island. There are hop-on hop-off buses available for the Funchal area. We arrived on our cruse to the Island and is what I recommend since you can see quite a bit but not all of the attractions on the island. There are quite a few light options to the island on airlines such as TAP Portugal if you choose to fly to the Island.

Country Information

Madeira is a small Autonomous Region on Portugal that is over 500 miles Southwest of Portugal and East of Morocco. It’s a small island that sits at the top of a long dormant volcano. The island is mountainous with a very mild climate similar to the Canary Islands that are called “The Islands of Eternal Spring”. They have their own unicameral legislature but are part of the EU Schengen zone. Since they are part of Portugal at the moment no visa is required for US Citizens, but once the European ETIAS begins in 2026 US and other citizens will need to fill out an electronic form where you answer questions about your past and why you are traveling, and you pay a small fee. It is Europe working on security of those traveling there. Check entry requirements to make sure nothing has changed. The official language is Portuguese, and the currency is the Euro just like in the rest of Portugal. We had no problem speaking English to people on the island.

Gondola/Aerial Tram ride to Monte

The first part of our tour of Madeira was to take the Aerial Tram up to the Monte suburb of Funchal. The ride is a very scenic one as you pass over the typical red tiled roof of Portuguese and the lush greenery of the Island. The view of the Ocean and the shrinking cruise ship were seen as we approached the top. The ride takes probably 15 minutes or so at the most and once you get off you can purchase a picture from your adventure. The ride is highly recommended and a great way to see the island from a different perspective.

The City of Monte

At the top of the Aerial Tramway is the city of Monte (it is part of Funchal). There is a very nice Botanical Gardens there right near the tram depot. Donna and I did not get the chance to visit the Monte Palace Botanical Gardens but it looked like a very nice place to walk through. A short walk from the Tram depot you will find a quaint old town square with shops and a cafe. Donna and I bought some of the Island’s trademark Fennel candy from a local shop and then walked up quite a few stairs to the beautiful church Igre de Nossa Senhora do Monte. The church is a nice place to visit and provides great views of the Island. After touring the small city of Monte we got ready to take the famous Tobbagan ride back to Funchal.

Monte-Funchal Tobaggan Ride

To get back to the bus from Monte we took the Wicker Toboggan sled through the streets of Monte. The sled is driven by two drivers behind you. Its an exciting experience as you race through the streets and take in the ocean and green Island. Its very safe and I never felt once bit frightened from the experience as our drivers were in total control. Its a nice blast from the past as this has been a means of transportation on the island since the 1850s. At the end of the ride you have the chance to buy pictures taken of you like a theme park roller coaster. We did purchase the picture of this wonderful memory. There are a few shops and a cafe at the end of the ride and for us its where we picked up our bus.

Toboggan Ride Tours:

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Valley of the Nuns

After our exciting tobaggan ride we drove through many winding roads along a cliff edge that provide wonderful scenic views to get the an overlook of the Valley of the Nuns. The valley is named this because nuns from a local convent used this valley to hide from attacks. From the view point you can visit a gift shop and restaurant before heading out on the walk to the panoramic view of the Valley. There is an incline to the walk but the view is worth the walk. You can see a small city in the valley and we were even able to hear music playing softy in the village since the valley was so quiet.

Madeira Island Tours:

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Madeira Adventure Tours:

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Downtown Funchal and the Military Museum

We returned to downtown Funchal from the Valley of the Nuns and first stopped at a textile shop (another product Madeira is known for) and also tried the famous Maderia wine. It reminded me a lot of Portuguese Port wine. From there our tour ended and Donna and I got the chance to walk through the charming downtown Funchal. We passed gardens, the local Cathedral, shops, restaurants with outdoor eating places where live musicians played many different types of music, and our stopping point an Ice Cream shop. We stopped at the cafe called Penha D’ Agua that has been in existence since 1844. There Ice Cream was amazing. Some of the best I have ever tried. As seen in cities like Lisbon the sidewalks are made with individual stones made into decorative designs. As we walked along, we happened upon a fortress that we went inside. It is Sao Lourenco Palace and still home to the military of Maderia. We visited the Military of Maderia and read about the fortress, the military engagements on the Island and other Battles troops from Madeira had participated in. It was a nice small museum that took around 30 minutes. We finished up our time in Maderia by walking along the harbor and seeing the replica of Columbus’s Santa Maria.

Madeira Food and Drink Tours:

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Leaving Madeira and Tips

Donna and I spent time watching the green island fade away as the Norwegian Spirit sailed back towards mainland Europe. On the way out I saw many beautiful rock formations and even an Arch in the sea. We also saw planes landing at the very challenging Madeira Airport. Planes have to turn quickly to avoid the mountains and stop quickly as part of the runway is built over the ocean itself like a bridge. My recommendation is to go to the island by cruise but if you want to spend more time to enjoy the sites the only other way to go is to fly from mainland Europe. Like in mainland Portugal Madeira uses the Euro as their currency. The Euro is usually worth a little more than a US Dollar. Portuguese is the language spoken on Madeira but I had no trouble speaking in English while I was there. The island is a gem that I was not expecting. If you ever get the chance to go to Madeira do not miss the chance!